Introduction:-
Recently I have been reading David Wrone's book "The Zapruder Film" and came to page 167 where he begins to deal with the man in the doorway and where he concludes that, that person is Oswald. I recollect on JFK forums, when this book came out, this was a hot issue where members basically concluded that this was an extremely weak and unnecessary part of this book. Like most others I was also of the opinion that it was not Oswald, but Billy Lovelady. However, just as an exercise in curiosity I went searching for the images and did a study of this concern. Having underdone some study I am now of the opinion that man in the doorway is not Billy Lovelady, and never has been so, and that the man probably is Oswald. The reasons, which will be outlined below, are because of the considerable discrepancies between Billy Lovelady and the image in the doorway and the major similarities between Oswald and the image. Below I outline my reasons for going against 40+ years of JFK research and established opinion.
Issue 1:- Comparing Oswald with the figure in the doorway.
[attachment=11358:Image1.jpg]
The main evidence for Oswald are those images taken while he was in custody. However, not all images of Oswald have him wearing the shirt he was wearing when he was arrested. In the middle of this image is a close-up of the man in the doorway surrounded by the images I was able to find of Oswald wearing this shirt.
Recently I have been reading David Wrone's book "The Zapruder Film" and came to page 167 where he begins to deal with the man in the doorway and where he concludes that, that person is Oswald. I recollect on JFK forums, when this book came out, this was a hot issue where members basically concluded that this was an extremely weak and unnecessary part of this book. Like most others I was also of the opinion that it was not Oswald, but Billy Lovelady. However, just as an exercise in curiosity I went searching for the images and did a study of this concern. Having underdone some study I am now of the opinion that man in the doorway is not Billy Lovelady, and never has been so, and that the man probably is Oswald. The reasons, which will be outlined below, are because of the considerable discrepancies between Billy Lovelady and the image in the doorway and the major similarities between Oswald and the image. Below I outline my reasons for going against 40+ years of JFK research and established opinion.
Issue 1:- Comparing Oswald with the figure in the doorway.
[attachment=11358:Image1.jpg]
The main evidence for Oswald are those images taken while he was in custody. However, not all images of Oswald have him wearing the shirt he was wearing when he was arrested. In the middle of this image is a close-up of the man in the doorway surrounded by the images I was able to find of Oswald wearing this shirt.
Point 1. The man in the doorway has his shirt significantly unbuttoned. You cannot see the bottom of that aspect of the shirt because there is a face in front of that part of the shirt. If you count up the shirt it appears that there are 3 buttons undone as well as the collar button: making four buttons undone. All pictures of Oswald, while in custody, show a similar gap in his shirt. Image G in this set appears to show the bottom two buttons with the upper two concealed. It appears that at no point while he was in custody did Oswald attempt to button up his shirt. Sometimes, like in image F, the gap in the shirt closes up a bit, and sometimes, like in image D, it widens a bit. However throughout all this images of Oswald in jail the length of the opening appears the same as that of the man in doorway.
Point 2. The shape of the shirt on the man in the doorway and on Oswald is astonishingly similar. For example, the man in the doorway, the left hand side of the shirt is flipped over. That is exactly what you see in image D. Wrone points out on P. 179 that this shirt was an old one. He makes the point Oswald's button holes were stretched and that was why he was not able to button up his shirt. Although Wrone does not mention it, it appears that the material is quite thin and when the support of the buttons are not there it is difficult to close the shirt up.
The second similarity is the manner the shirt surrounds the neck. In the man in the doorway it is nearly off the neck, except for the back of the neck. The shape of the neck is very easy to see. That is very similar to image G and D, particularly image D. The amount of the neck seen in image D and the man in the doorway is extraordinarily similar.
In fact, these two images are striking in just how similar they are. The outline of the neck is the same, the left hand side of the shirt is the same and the opening of the shirt is the same. Wrone makes the point that judging which man is the more likely to be the figure in the doorway, has little to do with facial resemblance but the shirt worn. If the shirt is wrong then so is the man and if the shirt is the same then, surely so is the man.
Issue 2: Comparing Lovelady with the figure in the doorway
Considering how important Billy Lovelady is to the guilt of Oswald, it is surprising just few pictures there are of him. David Wrone suggests that in the over exposed part of the John Martin film is a frame that shows Lovelady's shirt is buttoned up. Apparently in July 1976 Robert Groden sent Harold Weisberg a blow-up of this frame. P. 178 Whether there is such a frame is not really the issue, it would help but it is not essential. What is important is how much of Lovelady's shirt was open and how the shirt hung on the man.
Issue 2: Comparing Lovelady with the figure in the doorway
Considering how important Billy Lovelady is to the guilt of Oswald, it is surprising just few pictures there are of him. David Wrone suggests that in the over exposed part of the John Martin film is a frame that shows Lovelady's shirt is buttoned up. Apparently in July 1976 Robert Groden sent Harold Weisberg a blow-up of this frame. P. 178 Whether there is such a frame is not really the issue, it would help but it is not essential. What is important is how much of Lovelady's shirt was open and how the shirt hung on the man.
Point 1. In image G is a picture of Lovelady taken by Robert Groden in 1976.
In that image Lovelady only has two buttons undone. However in image E, taken in the sheriff's office on the 22nd it appears Lovelady may have three buttons undone. (RC: the man below was not Lovelady but an impostor, and he was not there on 11/22/63)
That said, in none of the images of him has he four buttons undone. In that respect, Lovelady is different from the man in the doorway. Image E is a very interesting image. Image A is an enlargement of it. Like Oswald he has a breast pocket to his shirt. However he has something in it that is white. Could be a hankie. Image C is an enlargement of image B And again we can see the pocket although this time the white object is not there. But the pocket does have something in it. Now if you look at the image of the man in the doorway, he does not have a bulging pocket. Therefore in that respect, again Lovelady is very different from the man in the doorway. A final point on this issue refers to images D and G. Image G, Robert Groden informs us on P. 187 TKOAP, Lovelady is wearing the shirt he wore that day, yet it does not have a breast pocket, and therefore this shirt Lovelady is wearing although similar to the one he wore on the 22nd, is not the same one.
Point 2. How the shirt hangs on Lovelady is very different to how the shirt hangs on the man in the doorway. The collar of the shirt surround his neck whereas the shirt worn by the man in the doorway does not. Even with three buttons undone, like in image E and A, the collar of the shirt hangs next to his neck whereas in the image of the man in the doorway much of the collar is off the neck. In images B and F, which are taken outside the TSBD on the 22nd, the collar still hugs the neck.
In none of the pictures of Lovelady, taken that day or later, is his shirt open as much as the figure in the doorway or does Lovelady's shirt hand as loosely as that image.
Issue 3:- Comparing the shirts with the figure in the doorway
[attachment=11360:Image3.jpg]
Omitting for the moment that this shirt is not exactly the one Lovelady wore on the 22nd, one thing that is striking about this shirt is its stark pattern. Although it may not be the exactly the same shirt, images A and E in Image 2 demonstrate that its pattern is similar enough to considered the same pattern as Lovelady wore on the 22nd.
Point 1. Granted that the image in the doorway is an extremely small part of Altgen's picture, and granted that this picture was taken some distance away from the subject, what is striking is that this very strong pattern cannot be detected. We should be seeing very strong vertical and horizontal stripes and blocks of colour. Now I have read on forums people argue that if you look at the image you can see patterns. And I have read people argue that what we are seeing is this pattern as shown in the Groden picture of Lovelady.
But!!
If you look at the Oswald shirt there are blocks of orange and brown in both horizontal and vertical shapes. Also the orange colours are generally horizontal in nature and the shapes that are seen on the man in the doorway are more horizontal in nature and are the lighter shades on the shirt. And that is what we see on the Oswald shirt.
I would say there is much more in common in Oswald's shirt to the man in the doorway than there is in Lovelady's shirt. Indeed I would go further. Lovelady's shirt simply is not the same kind of pattern that we see on this shirt.
Issue 4:- Comparing where Lovelady stood with the figure in the doorway
[attachment=11361:Image4.jpg]
In 1971 Bob Jackson persuaded Billy Lovelady to wear the shirt he wore on the 22nd and stand where he stood that day. Again note that how he wears his shirt is nothing like the man in the doorway.
Point 2. How the shirt hangs on Lovelady is very different to how the shirt hangs on the man in the doorway. The collar of the shirt surround his neck whereas the shirt worn by the man in the doorway does not. Even with three buttons undone, like in image E and A, the collar of the shirt hangs next to his neck whereas in the image of the man in the doorway much of the collar is off the neck. In images B and F, which are taken outside the TSBD on the 22nd, the collar still hugs the neck.
In none of the pictures of Lovelady, taken that day or later, is his shirt open as much as the figure in the doorway or does Lovelady's shirt hand as loosely as that image.
Issue 3:- Comparing the shirts with the figure in the doorway
[attachment=11360:Image3.jpg]
Omitting for the moment that this shirt is not exactly the one Lovelady wore on the 22nd, one thing that is striking about this shirt is its stark pattern. Although it may not be the exactly the same shirt, images A and E in Image 2 demonstrate that its pattern is similar enough to considered the same pattern as Lovelady wore on the 22nd.
Point 1. Granted that the image in the doorway is an extremely small part of Altgen's picture, and granted that this picture was taken some distance away from the subject, what is striking is that this very strong pattern cannot be detected. We should be seeing very strong vertical and horizontal stripes and blocks of colour. Now I have read on forums people argue that if you look at the image you can see patterns. And I have read people argue that what we are seeing is this pattern as shown in the Groden picture of Lovelady.
But!!
If you look at the Oswald shirt there are blocks of orange and brown in both horizontal and vertical shapes. Also the orange colours are generally horizontal in nature and the shapes that are seen on the man in the doorway are more horizontal in nature and are the lighter shades on the shirt. And that is what we see on the Oswald shirt.
I would say there is much more in common in Oswald's shirt to the man in the doorway than there is in Lovelady's shirt. Indeed I would go further. Lovelady's shirt simply is not the same kind of pattern that we see on this shirt.
Issue 4:- Comparing where Lovelady stood with the figure in the doorway
[attachment=11361:Image4.jpg]
In 1971 Bob Jackson persuaded Billy Lovelady to wear the shirt he wore on the 22nd and stand where he stood that day. Again note that how he wears his shirt is nothing like the man in the doorway.
Point 1. We need to examine picture 3 to see how the man was standing. He is bent forward by quite a bit. And to stop himself from falling he grips the side of the building. This is highlighted by the letter A. In image 2 + 3 you cannot see the hand because there is a person in front who is blocking our line of sight.
(RC: James Gordon is misinterpreting the Altgens photo. Doorman is not bent at all, and he is not gripping the side of the building. He isn't even near the side of the building. He is in the center of the doorway, and he is clasping his hands in front. One cannot make sense of this without recognizing that the photo was altered.)
Now in image 1 Lovelady suggests that he is standing on the step labelled B. If that was the step, then he should be at position B2 leaning forward and griping point A to stabilise himself. However looking at the B1 position and the proximity of the A point to that step it is possible the figure might have been on the C step at position C2. What is certain is that the figure could not have been standing on the step labelled D. It would be too far to lean.
Maybe Lovelady was just positioning himself on the step rather than giving a true account of how he was standing. Because certainly how his is standing is nothing like the figure in the doorway.
One thing about the Bob Jackson picture is that we get an idea of the height of Billy Lovelady and to my eye he appears to be taller than Oswald. Although I can't do it, it should be possible to pin point where the head comes to on the building. With better copies of the Altgen's picture, it should be possible to determine what step the figure is standing on. And in doing that it should be possible to determine the height of the figure. If that can be done, then when measured I predict you will find the height to be 5'9": the height of Oswald as stated in his autopsy. If it can be determined what Lovelady's height is indeed taller than Oswald, I also predict that you will not be able to fit that measurement into that of the figure in the doorway.
Now in image 1 Lovelady suggests that he is standing on the step labelled B. If that was the step, then he should be at position B2 leaning forward and griping point A to stabilise himself. However looking at the B1 position and the proximity of the A point to that step it is possible the figure might have been on the C step at position C2. What is certain is that the figure could not have been standing on the step labelled D. It would be too far to lean.
Maybe Lovelady was just positioning himself on the step rather than giving a true account of how he was standing. Because certainly how his is standing is nothing like the figure in the doorway.
One thing about the Bob Jackson picture is that we get an idea of the height of Billy Lovelady and to my eye he appears to be taller than Oswald. Although I can't do it, it should be possible to pin point where the head comes to on the building. With better copies of the Altgen's picture, it should be possible to determine what step the figure is standing on. And in doing that it should be possible to determine the height of the figure. If that can be done, then when measured I predict you will find the height to be 5'9": the height of Oswald as stated in his autopsy. If it can be determined what Lovelady's height is indeed taller than Oswald, I also predict that you will not be able to fit that measurement into that of the figure in the doorway.
(RC: the FBI took Lovelady's height, and he was 5'8")
As pointed out in the beginning, I am certain it is not Billy Lovelady in that doorway, even though 40+ years of research have informed us it is. I believe it may well be Lee Harvey Oswald and that makes sense of a number of issues. For example, it explains why Sandra Styles and Victoria Adams did not see Oswald going down the stairs to the lunchroom, because he did not go down the stairs: he went up the stairs.
James Gordon.
As pointed out in the beginning, I am certain it is not Billy Lovelady in that doorway, even though 40+ years of research have informed us it is. I believe it may well be Lee Harvey Oswald and that makes sense of a number of issues. For example, it explains why Sandra Styles and Victoria Adams did not see Oswald going down the stairs to the lunchroom, because he did not go down the stairs: he went up the stairs.
James Gordon.
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